A large number of refugees entered Vavuniya after the government closed the UNHCR-assisted Madhu refugee camp in Mannar. The student population has increased by 7,000. Some 3,700 students attend schools from the 15 camps and another 9,700 are from refugee families living with friends or relatives.
Over 2,000 people with resident permits in Vavuniya town were questioned by the military on 5 June. Two days earlier, an LTTE bomb damaged rail lines at Eeratperiyakulam, four miles south of Vavuniya town. The Army arbitrarily rounded-up men on the streets on 10 June for questioning. A soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a landmine attack at Eeratperiyakulam on 28 June.
In Mannar District, the LTTE shot dead two policemen in early June at Murunkan. The police killed a man at Kattupalli on 6 June alleging that he attempted to smuggle banned goods into LTTE areas. The Mannar magistrate has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Three Tigers were killed in a clash at Thiratikulam on 11 June. Reports say over 30 youths, including six students, were arrested by the Army in June.
The refugees in Madhu camp have all been removed. The government has ordered that refugees in the UNHCR-assisted Thatchanamaruthamadu camp nearby, must also be resettled or moved to other camps. Mannar GA SM Croos has urged the government to keep the camp open, saying that other camps in the district are already overcrowded. Press reports say that while assisting in resettlement, UNHCR will also help refugees living with friends or relatives. In Mannar District 7,100 people are in refugee camps and another 1,000 live with friends or relatives.